Artificial minnow



Jan. 3, 1933. M F, JAMA@ JR r 1,892,892

ARTIFICIAL MINNOW Filed Dec..5,1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 3, 1933. M. F. JAMAR, JR

ARTIFICIAL MINNOW Filed Dec. 5, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 3, 1933 UNITED .STATES PATENT oFFicE mmm. r. :m3, Jn., or nowacmc, Ironman, saumon To :rms mnon's soirs, or newseme, anemona, a coaromrron or moment ARTIFICIAL mow appunti nea December s, 19:1. semi s. 579,145.

This invention whichrelates to an artiiical minnow is concerned with the construction of its body from a number of sectional units adaptedto be joined inseparably into an integral structure. A

An artificial minnow embodying my ,n nproved features is advanta ecus in that its several components may be ormed of a nonbuoyant material susceptible of being moulded to desired form to produce in the completed bait a body having walls of amplied thickness at desired points by which to roduce interiorly thereo an air chamber of desired size and in a selected location so that the buo ancy of the hait may thereby be modifie within wide limits. In addition,

the present bait construction is one which may be produced from material which is transparent, translucent, or colored evenly, or otherwise, throughout the entire thickness of its walls so as to retain its appearance unchanged even though its exterior surface be marred somewhat in usage. As a further ad- Vantage, the present bait ma utilize an einbedded weight, located at a esired point, to impart ballast to the bait as well as shift its center of gravity. All such objects, as well as others which will hereinafter appear, are attained by a bait embodying the im roved features o my invention, an exempli cation of which is set out in the accompanying drawin in themanner following: TD igure 1 is a side elevation of the completed ait; f-

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2-2 of fig. '3 is a central longitudinal section of the rear unit of the bait;

Fig. 4 is asimilar view of the front unit of the bait;

Fig. 5 is a similar fragmentary view of the meeting ends of the bait units here shown as 'ghtly separated; v v

ig. 6 1s a central longitudinal section through a bait havilig embedded in its rear unit a weight for b ast purposes;

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the weight disposed in part within each of the front and rear units;

Fig. 8 is a view in elevation of the two bait slightly separated illustrating bilities 1n color combinations therefor;

Fig. 9 is a similar view of the bait with its i two units joined together;

Fig. l0 which is a view in elevation shows a jointed bait embodying my invention;

Fig. 11 is a central longitudinal section through the bait of Fig. with the several units thereof slightly separated;

Fig. l2 is a transverse section taken on line 12-12 of Fig, l1;

Fig. 13 is a horizontal section through one of the closure units shown in Fig. l1; and

Fig. le is a fragmentary detail in longitudinal section showing connections between the two forward units of the bait of Fig. l0.

ln the production of the present bait, it is advantageous to utilize a powdered material which by the application of heat and pressure may be moulded to the desired shape. Such a material may comprise cellulose acetate colloided with suitable plastizers, pigments and solvents, the resulting product being optionally trans arent, translucent and/ or variously colore By providing suitable die moulds in which to cast such a material, the production of the body units, which combine to orm the present bait, can be greatly expedited. In addition, the size, contour, and finish of all such units are uniform, and, therefore, assure an action and behavior in service that exactly conforms to the intended design-something which is not always the case with ordinary baits when produced from wood or like material.

Referring to Fi l, the hait here shown comprises a body ormed of a front unit A and a rear unit B having, when combined, a suitable exterior contour resembling, in general, that of a ish. One or both unitsv may be provided interiorly with air chambers a and respectively, opening onto the confrontin ends thereof. The meeting` surfaces 15 an .16, respectively, of the two body units are disposed ina plane which is transverse vto the axis of the bait, i. e., a line extending centrally ofthe bait in the general direction of its movement through the water when retrieved.' These surfaces may he' squared oi,

as shownin Figs. 3 and 4, for a butt joint,

or, as indicated in Fig. 5, they ma be cooperatively beveled at 17 and 18. n either case the two units, when assembled, provide an enclosure for any air chamber that is provided interiorly of the bait.

' The material of which the present bait is made may be non-buoyant. An air chamber will offset this tendency to sink in varying degree depending upon its capacit In addition, the location ofthe air cham er, either forwardly or rearwardly, will aii'ect to some extent the tendency of the bait to point up or down as it is retrieved throu h the water.

, A further control over the be avior of the bait is achieved by disposin the material forming the walls of the bo y in a desired manner. For example. as suggested in the several figures of the drawin s, the under side of the bait body is provide with a thickened wall 20 which serves to ballast the bait somewhat. In addition, a weight 21 of lead, or other desired substance, may be embedded in this thickened wall of the bait, or else,l

where, inthe casting operation, or subsequentl-y. As shown in Fig. 6, this weight is entirely contained within the rear unit of the body. It ma be, however, disposed in art within the ront unit, as suggested in ig. 7. In this construction aligned chambers are formed in the two bodyunits of the bait, permitting the insertion thereinto of the weight subsequent to the moulding operation. By providing an air chamber of desired size and in a selected location, also by adding thickness to the bait walls, desirably along the under side, and further by the use of a ballasting weight at an advantageous point, all as heretofore eX lained, I am able to control such factors as uoyancy, steadiness, and motion, when the bait is put to service.

To the exterior of the bait may be applied the usual fittings such as a screw eye 25 for a, line at the front end, and one or more hooks 26 below the body and, optionally, at the tail end thereof. The gang hooks secured to the under side of the body are aixed in the usual Way with the aid of an eye plate 27 through which are passed screws 28 for threaded engagement with the bait body. In the casting of the sectional body units it may be desirable to form openings 29 in which the screws may be received, thereby facilitating their application to the bait, as well as dispensing with boring operations which otherwise would be required. It is possible also, as suggested in Fig. 7, to locate the screw openings 1n line with other openings 30 in the welght 21 whereby the screws, when inserted therein, will take hold of the weight, as well as the body material of the bait.

The decorative scheme to be adopted for the present bait may be varied in character. For example, the bait, which may be of transparent or translucent material, may have applied to its outside surface a decorative coating which simulates sh scales. The decorative finish to be exposed to view may also be applied to the interior surface of a bait body which is trans arent or translucent, if this be preferred. t is also permissible to incorporate in the material forming the bait body a color pigment which renders the bait walls of one solid color throughout. This is of advantage as no subsequent decorative treatment is thereby' r uired. As suggested -in Figs. 8 and 9, the ront unit may be of one color, indicated by stippling 30, and the rear unit of another color, so that when the two units are joined, as indicated in Fig. 9, the bait surface will present a combination of two colors in separated zones. In such a construction, I 'prefer that the head unit shall be cast of one solid color and the tail unit mostly of another color with its end which is to be united to the head unit exhibiting a blend of the color in which the' head unit is made.- In this manner, a very attractive use of contrasting colors can be attained.

Two or more body units adapted to meet in planes which are transverse to the axis of the bait united in any appropriate manner, desirably by a cement which is soluble in relation. to the material forming the body sections. Such a means of joinin the body units forms a seal protecting the ollow interior of the bait from the ingress of water. The connection thus formed may readil be smoothed oi so as toscarcely be discernlble, and without detracting in the least from the appearance of the bait.

The modifications of which this invention is susceptible are many. In Figs. 10 to 14 inclusive, I have suggested one further eX- ample of a bait which may be advantageousl roduced in the manner already explainedl ere I have shown the bait as formed of three sections, a head unit C, a body unit D, and a tail unit E. In one or more of these units, as desired, are chambersl c, d and e, respectively. In the construction shown, the chambers c and d are in communication when these two sections are joined. Most, if not all, of the features outlined with reference to the bait appearing in Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive may be incorporated in the modified bait now under description. The head and body sections C and D constitute, in effect, one unit which may be swingingly joined to the tail unit by a link connection. For this purpose, I prefer to use two plugs 31 and 32, the ormer applicable to the open end of the body section and the other to the open end of the tail section, the, two plugs forming in effect closures for the chambers therein. These plugs may, if desired, be flanged as at 33'to ap into the associated sections when joined thereto (see Fig. 13). Extending transversely through each plug is a pin 34 traversing one end of a link 35 that is swingable within a slot 86 to permit flexing of the body.

The present bait, as alread indicated, may utilize walls of variable thic ess to increase or decrease lits specific gravity at desired points, and also to provide enhanced strength any insertion thereof from the exterior with consequent dan er of the lead falling out, and eliminates requires covering up by surface coating of enamel or other material. Thecost of such a bait is reduced to a. minimumI because no after surface treatment or decoration is required. In the event of hard usage, with consequent marring and penetration `of its exterior surface, the appearance of the bait remains almost unchanged due to the enduring coloring of its body which extends clear through the walls to the interior thereof., The factors of buoyancy, ballast and contour can be more accurately controlled so as to assure a uniform and predetermined action in the water. These several advantages which inhere in my invention may be realized in various embodiments of which those illustrated are typical.

I claim:

oration of a weight i, l within the walls of the ait prior to the as' sembly of its body units dispenses (1)V with 2) the usual blemish which` extending into the rib therein to secure the ttin tothe bait.Il

4. sh bait comprising a chambered unit for one body en having the material forming its walls disposed non-uniforml so that the mass preponderates at a deslred point, in combination with a second unit for the opposite body end having its preponderance o mass determined in like manner, the two units bein provided with complementary meetin aces extending crosswise of the bait, an a connection between the meetmg faces of the body units to seal the chamber interiorly thereof.

\ MITCHELL F. JAMAR, JB.

1. A sh bait comprising a chambered 5 body made from two separately formed end units with open ends provided with meeting surfaces disposed in a lane transverse to the bait axis,I the walls of t e body being of nonbuoyant material and having an excess of thickness along the bottom of the bait to position the center of bait gravity below its axis, and means connecting the end units of the bait along their meeting surfaces in a manner to form a seal therebetween. y

2. A fish bait comprising a chambered body made from/two separately formed end units each having one open end which is disposed in a plane transverse to the bait axis, a closure for the open end of each bait unit, meanscon-` nectng each closure with its associated bait unit in a manner to form a seal for the chamber therein, and a jointed connection between th-e two closures permitting the baitbody to flex when retrieved through the water.

3. A fish bait comprising a chambered body made from two separately formed end units with open ends provided with meeting surfaces disposed in a plane transverse to the bait axis, the bait wall in its lower region being formed lwith an internally extending rib, means connecting the end units of the bait along their meeting surfaces in a manner to form a seal therebetween, a fitting applied to the underside of the bait, and screwsY 05 entered into the bottom wall of the bait and DISCLAIMER 1,892,892-.M'itchell I.4 Jamar, Jr., Dowa 'ac, Mich. ARTIFICIAL MINNoW. l Patent dated January3, 1933. Disc aimer led March 16, 1939, by the assignee, James Heddons Sons. Hereby enters this disclaimer to that part of the claims in said specification in the following Words, to Wit:

In each of the claims the units of the chambered body are formed from a plastic material susceptible of being molded t0 the desired sha e as contrasted With bait bodies carved from Wood or formed from metal, and bait odies formed from wood or metal are herein expressly disclaimed.

[Ocz'al Gazette April 4 1989.] 

